AIMS: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) prognosis depends on lymph node metastasis (LNM). We recently reported that tumour budding is a good predictive factor for LNM in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and floor of the mouth (FOM). Our aim was to evaluate whether tumour budding is a good prognostic factor in OSCC. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined conventional histopathological assessment and a new factor, tumour budding, in 209 cases of OSCC in incisional biopsy specimens...

Understanding the structure and function of the oropharynx is paramount to providing excellent patient care. In clinical oncology, the oropharynx is generally divided into four distinct components: (1) base of tongue, (2) soft palate, (3) palatine tonsillar fossa, and (4) pharyngeal wall. Oropharyngeal mucosa is distinct from other mucosal surfaces in the body since it is comprised of a reticulated epithelium with a discontinuous basement membrane, also known as lymphoepithelium. This review article describes the anatomy, histology, immunology and surgical resection of the oropharynx as it relates to oncologic care...

"Warburg effect", the enhanced glycolysis or aerobic glycolysis, confers cancer cells the ability to survive and proliferate even under stressed conditions. In this study, we explored the role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in orchestrating Warburg effect, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, and the acquisition of cancer stem-like cell properties in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. Our results showed that EGF induces EMT process in OSCC cells, which correlates with the acquisition of cancer stem-like properties, including the enrichment of CD44+/CD24- population of cancer cells and an increased expression of CSC-related genes, aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH1) and Bmi-1...

The glycolytic enzyme hexokinase (HK2), which is aberrantly expressed in various types of tumours, is associated with metastasis. However, its role in the progression and metastasis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remains unclear. The results of our study showed that HK2 expression is often deregulated in TSCC patients. Increased HK2 expression was associated with tumour stage, clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, but not pathological grade, and reduced overall survival. Microarray and western blotting analyses revealed increases in HK2 expression in TSCC cells with higher metastatic potential...

BACKGROUND: DNA repair systems play a critical role in protecting the human genome from damage caused by carcinogens. Modifications in DNA repair genes may be responsible for tumor development and resistance of malignant cells to chemotherapeutic agents. The major pathway for oxidative DNA damage repair is the base excision repair pathway. This study aimed to assess the immunoexpression of DNA repair proteins APE-1 and XRCC-1 and its association with clinical, histological and survival parameters in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in order to investigate a possible role for those proteins in tumor behavior...

In the oral cavity, the tongue is the anatomic subsite most commonly involved by invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Current treatment protocols often require significant tissue resection to achieve adequate negative margins and optimal local tumor control. Reconstruction of the tongue while preserving and/or restoring its critical vocal, chewing, and swallowing functions remains one of the major challenges in head and neck oncologic surgery. We investigated the in vitro feasibility of fabricating a novel combinatorial construct using porcine small intestinal submucosa extracellular matrix (SIS-ECM) and human gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) as a GMSC/SIS-ECM tissue graft for the tongue reconstruction...

The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue accounts for 90% of all malignancies affecting the oral cavity and oropharynx. The distribution between the anterior and posterior tongue is equal. Nodal metastasis is dependent on various factors including tumour thickness, site, size, differentiation, and perineural and perivascular invasion. There is increasing evidence of a close correlation between tumour thickness and metastasis. A retrospective study covering the 16-year period from 2000 to 2016 was performed...

BACKGROUND: Early oral squamous cell carcinoma (EOSCC) represents about 90% of the oral cancers especially in older males. The etiology is multifactorial, strongly related to tobacco and alcohol abuse, but also infective agents, Human papillomaviruses (HPV16-18), genetic factors and pre-neoplastic lesions seem to be implicated. There is no consensus in the literature for the treatment of early squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (stages I-II); both an elective neck dissection policy and a watchful-waiting policy have their proponents in the different centers...

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to retrospectively describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with level IV/V metastases, and to evaluate the multivariate relationships among potential risk factors for metastasis and prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 291 patients (178 men and 113 women; mean age, 65.9 ± 13.5 years). Clinicopathological data, time of development of level IV/V metastases, and clinical course were investigated...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma has a more favorable prognosis when compared to HPV-negative disease, regardless of the presence of nodal metastases. However, the importance of contralateral neck treatment based on HPV status has not been well studied. Given the historically poor prognostic implications of cervical nodal metastases, this study sought to elucidate the relationship between HPV status and contralateral/bilateral nodal metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma...

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the role of KRAS/BRAF gene mutation in the pathogenesis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 26 OSCC patients (23 males, 3 females; mean age 60 years; range 41 to 77 years) diagnosed between January 2003 and November 2013 were included in the study. The methods used in our study were quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction for KRAS/BRAF mutation analysis. RESULTS: Ten of the tumors were located at the tongue base, 12 in the tonsil and four at the floor of mouth...

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a critical element in the rising incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), although whether this trend will continue, and the types of HPV responsible, are currently unknown. We previously demonstrated an increased incidence of HPV-related OPSCC in the high HPV prevalence area of Eastern Denmark from 2000 to 2010. Therefore, we investigated if the incidence for OPSCC continued to rise, the association to HPV and putative HPV-types in Eastern Denmark from 2011 to 14...

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has become an alternative option to elective neck dissection (END) for early oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) outside of Australia. We sought to assess the technical feasibility of SLNB and validate its accuracy against that of END in an Australian setting. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study consisting of 30 consecutive patients with cT1-2 N0 OCSCC referred to the Head and Neck Cancer Service, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, between 2011 and 2014...

Trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, is used as an anti-carcinogenic and radiosensitizing agent in various cancers. However, the role and mechanism underlying its radiosensitization of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remains unclear. Thus, in this study we aimed to confirm the promotion of miR‑375 expression by TSA, and to investigate the effects of TSA and miR‑375 in the radiosensitivity of TSCC cells. The results showed that TSA had significant radiosensitizing effects on TSCC cells and miR‑375 overexpression had effects similar to TSA in sensitizing these cells to radiotherapy...

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity is a malignant epithelial tumor that most commonly involves the tongue, and mainly affects men between the fifth and seventh decades of life. This study compared the lymphatic vessel density and VEGF-C expression in SCCs of the tongue between young and old patients. METHODS: Thirty-four SCCs of the tongue, 17 diagnosed in young patients (≤40y) and 17 diagnosed in old patients (>50y), were evaluated by immunohistochemistry...

BACKGROUND: Neck metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Apart from the T- stage, depth of invasion has been used as a highly predictable factor for microscopic neck metastasis, despite the controversy on the exact depth cut off point. Depth of invasion can be determined clinically and radio logically. However, there is no standard tool to determine depth of invasion preoperatively. Although MRI is used widely to stage the head and neck disease, its utility in depth evaluation has not formally been assessed...

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (tongue SCC) is a major subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which is an intractable cancer under current therapeutics. ARF6 and its effector AMAP1 are often overexpressed in different types of cancers, such as breast cancer and renal cancer, and in these cancers, AMAP1 binds to EPB41L5 to promote invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. EPB41L5 is a mesenchymal-specific protein, normally induced during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to promote focal adhesion dynamics...